Open Primaries

Sunday, August 09, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 8/10/09

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Coverage of independent voters from a more progressive viewpoint:

Wisconsin: Health Care Vital Issue (By Cecily Wu, CQ Politics) Thus, enactment of health care legislation that can draw solid public support could enable Kagen to maintain the backing of independent voters, who Scattergood said comprise upwards of 20 percent of the 8th District electorate.

What's Bad for the GOP Is Good for Fox News (By John Cook, Gawker) But while cable news is niche, politics is mass. The chart above shows GOP party approval in as reported by New York Times/CBS in national polls going back to 2006 and Fox News' total primetime audience, in millions, over the same time period. Fox News can and does thrive with a primetime audience of 2.5 million, many of which are the aforementioned zealots. The Republican Party needs more than that to function electorally. And the aforementioned angry zealotry that's in vogue on Fox News is distasteful to the independent voters that the GOP needs to court.

CAMPAIGN TIES EYED/ BOARD ON ALERT AS ADVOCATE RACE HEATS UP (NY Post, Maggie Haberman) The CFB has in the past fined campaigns for improper coordination, including Annabelle Palma's City Council run for support she received from the powerful SEIU 1199. Most recently, Freddy Ferrer's failed run against Mayor Bloomberg in 2005 was fined for improper coordination with outside groups.